When caught in this situation, the snake realizes the danger and is no different from a “fish on the chopping block.”
The snake made a mistake by seeing the massive army ant nest and still decided to crawl through.
A green rat snake (Scientific name: Ahaetulla nasuta), which has mild venom, encountered a green tree ant nest (Scientific name: Oecophylla smaragdina). Despite seeing the ant nest as big as a ball, the snake had no intention of avoiding it and decided to crawl right across.
This was an extremely poor decision on its part; green tree ants are known for their aggressive nature and exceptional strength (relative to their body size). They typically wrap leaves together to build their nests in trees using silk produced by their larvae.
Green tree ants also possess a potent weapon: formic acid, which has a strong, pungent smell and can cause skin burns. They spray this liquid at intruders to protect their nest. The snake found itself stuck in the silk that binds the leaves of the ant nest and was swarmed by the army of ants.
Only then did it realize the danger, but it was too late; it could only lie there helplessly, waiting for the ants to tear it apart. It struggled with all its might to escape the ant nest, and fortunately, this effort helped it to survive.
